Torn Apart
by ChoCedric
Summary: An updated, hopefully improved version of the third task from Cho Chang's point of view. She had everything; looks, grades, and a young man who loved her, until that night, when one of those things was ripped violently away from her.


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: This is my second version of the third task from Cho chang's point of view. This was written about a year ago, but I did some edits to it and am putting it up now. The other one was written two and a half years ago, and was put up about a week ago after some major editing as well. That one is called I'll Fight for You. If you read that one too, please let me know which one you liked better! If not, please just let me know what you think of this one!

Torn Apart

By: ChoCedric

As fifteen-year-old Cho Chang sat in the Quidditch stands waiting for the third task of the Triwizard Tournament to begin, she couldn't help but smile. She was a very pretty girl with shining black hair and stunning brown eyes. She was also very popular, but it wasn't her popularity that made her the happiest. What caused her eyes to shine, and her face to light up, was the fact that she was in love.

Cho and her boyfriend, Cedric, had been dating for the past six months. They had met the year before at the Quidditch World Cup, and gotten to know one another. They hit it off extremely well, and grew to be very close friends. They began to have feelings for each other, and the night of the Yule Ball, they fell in love.

The thing that Cho loved about Cedric was that he completely understood her. He had brought so much laughter and love into her life. Before she met him, she was very superficial and really only cared about grades and looking cool. A normal conversation with her giggling girlfriends would consist of things like: "Oh, I need to fix my hair!" and "Oh, can I do your nails?" But Cedric had seen past that, to the soul underneath that wanted to be freed. Cho had realized there was more to life than looking in a mirror at her reflection.

Cho was Chinese, but had come to England when she was a very little girl. She had been adopted and had two English parents. They kept the name she had been born with, so she had always been Cho Chang. Her parents' names were Meg and Jack, and she had no brothers or sisters. She was happy being an only child, but did wish for sibling companionship at times.

Right now, the unfortunate thing was that her parents were going through a rough patch in their marriage. Cedric had held and comforted her while she cried on his shoulder about the fights she'd witnessed them having. Most people might think Cedric Diggory was the jock because he was so popular, but the truth was that there was an extremely soft, sensitive, and loving side to him. He always stroked Cho's hair and promised her the world, and his and Cho's relationship was something special.

Cho's mind went over the events of the night before as more and more people sat down in the Quidditch stands. The night before had been the Hogwarts prom for the sixth and seventh-years. Cho was only a fifth-year, but since Cedric was a year above her, he was allowed to take her. The couple had danced all night while looking into each other's eyes. Cedric had made her heart melt; it was the most romantic night of her life. She could remember sobbing in his arms as they danced their last dance because she didn't want the night to end. Cedric had whispered to her that it was okay, that their night wasn't over yet, and he had proved that by sneaking her out to the Astronomy Tower. There, they'd spent a night under the stars, snuggled in each other's arms. Cedric whispered comforting words to her as she drifted off to sleep, and it was the safest she'd ever felt in her life.

Today, Cho had gotten a chance to meet Cedric's parents. Cedric had told her about his father, how he wanted his son to almost be perfect. There were times when Cedric was sick of this; he just wanted to be himself. He and Cho had long, deep, meaningful conversations about this, and Cho always tried to cheer him up. She could remember that just this morning, Mr. Diggory had shaken her hand and said, "So you're the girl Ced loves, eh? I hope he's treating you well." Cho had beamed, assuring him that he was. Mrs. Diggory had smiled softly at her, saying, "Ced talks about you all the time."

"Yoo-hoo!" A female voice pulled Cho out of her thoughts. "Yoo-hoo! Cho, where are you? You're a million miles away! I asked you who you think's gonna win!"

It was Marietta Edgecombe, Cho's best friend. Out of all the girls in her dorm, Marietta was the only one who seemed to understand how much Cho and Cedric were in love. The others just thought it was a passing thing, just a crush, and it would be over soon.

"Oh, sorry," said Cho quickly, smiling apologetically at her friend. "Why do you even need to ask that though? Cedric, of course!"

Meghan, the girl sitting to Cho's right, giggled. Make-up was all over her face.

Cho felt nervous as Ludo Bagman prepared himself to speak. She knew that precautions had been taken; Cedric had reassured her of that. But she couldn't help but worry that he'd get hurt in the task tonight. But she took comfort in the words Cedric had said to her as he was leaving the Great Hall with the other champions.

When Dumbledore had told them to go to the pitch, Cho had jumped up from the Ravenclaw table and met Cedric as he was leaving the Hufflepuff one. "Good luck, Cedric!" she had said. "Please be careful."

"Thanks, love," Cedric said softly, putting his arms around her. "I will. Please don't worry." Cho returned the embrace. "I love you," Cedric whispered. "No matter what happens tonight, always remember that, okay?"

"I love you, too," Cho whispered back. "And whether you win tonight or not, you'll always be a winner to me."

Cedric blushed and smiled. "Thanks, sweetheart. I'll see you afterwards." He gave her a quick peck on the lips, which she returned. He squeezed her hand gently and turned to leave. Cho continued to look at him until he was gone.

So it was this thought that comforted Cho as Ludo Bagman announced the points that each champion had, and then bellowed, "All right, on my whistle, Harry and Cedric!" Cedric gave one last look to everyone in the crowd, his eyes lingering upon Cho. Whoever said that teenagers couldn't love each other was wrong, for they both mouthed a silent but heartfelt "I love you," as he hurried into the maze.

After that, things were very, very dull and boring. Anxiety enveloped Cho, for no one knew what was going on in the maze. "Hey, Marie," she whispered to Marietta. "Can I borrow your omnioculars?"

"You can, but I can't see what's going on even with those," Marietta answered.

"Oh, Cho, stop worrying about your Cedric," Meghan laughed. "He'll be fine, he's strong. He's not gonna let some creature like Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts stop him!"

Time seemed to drag on as Cho sat and waited. All she wanted was for Cedric to gather her into his arms and carry her around, joking about how light she was. All she wanted was for this to be over, for him to have gotten through and for him to be safe and sound, and then they could spend another night together under the stars. Was that too much to ask? Cedric had even told her that he thought this tournament had gone on long enough, and he was sick of his father always pressuring him. He'd confessed that the only reason why he'd entered the tournament was to make Mr. Diggory proud.

Suddenly, red sparks flew into the air, and Cho felt her stomach lurch. But a few minutes later, Fleur Delacour was carried out of the maze. Relief flooded through Cho, but it was mixed with guilt; she should be concerned for Fleur, not just happy that it wasn't Cedric.

The same thing happened again a while later, and Viktor Krum was carried out of the maze next. "Oooooo!" squealed Amanda, another friend of Cho's. "Ooooo, Cho! It's down to Harry and Cedric now!"

"A Hogwarts victory," shrieked Marietta. The hubbub in the stands was excited: some people were shouting, "Diggory! Diggory! Diggory!" while others were shouting, "Potter! Potter! Potter!"

A few more minutes later, Cho saw Cedric and Harry come to the center of the maze, for the center had a charm on it so you could see what was going on. She smiled in delight: Cedric was okay! He was going to win!

But then an acromantula interrupted her train of thought, almost attacking the two boys. They tried to fight it by using different spells, and the crowd whooped and hollered as they watched the two contestants battle. It looked like Harry and Cedric were helping each other.

When the acromantula was finally defeated, a huge cheer erupted from the stands. Then, Cho waited anxiously for Cedric to take the cup and claim victory. She could see that he was talking to Harry; it looked like they were arguing about something. They were both shaking their heads emphatically, both with pleading looks on their faces. Come on, Ced, just take it! Cho shrieked inside her mind. Just take it!

"What could they be arguing about?" she whispered to Marie.

"Dunno, maybe they're arguing about who's going to take the cup," her friend replied.

"You might be...I think you're right!" Cho exclaimed as she saw the two boys smile at each other, and Harry, whose leg was broken, limped towards the cup with Cedric helping him. "I think they're taking it together!" God, she was so proud of Cedric. Such a good sport, and so fair.

The whole Quidditch stadium stood up, ready to congratulate their champions, their classmates, their friends. As Cedric and Harry grasped a handle, applause started to resound, but then it was interrupted by a shocked intake of breath from every audience member-

For the two contestants, plus the cup, were gone.

Pandemonium broke out in the stands then. "Marie, what's going on?" Cho yelled as she looked around for a sign of them. "Is this supposed to be part of the task?"

"How should I know?" grunted Marietta, annoyed. The din of voices was so loud that Cho could barely hear her.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please calm down!" Albus Dumbledore's commanding voice shouted over the noise. "Everything will be fine! We are looking into what may have happened to our two champions."

Oh God, thought Cho. This isn't part of the task. Where are they? Where? She looked at the faces of the teachers; they seemed afraid and stricken. Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape were talking with their heads bent, solemn looks on their faces. What in the hell was going on?

A lump formed in Cho's throat, and terror gripped at her as she remembered the Quidditch World Cup last year, and the Death Eater activity that had occurred there. She'd had an odd feeling all year that something was going to happen, and Harry Potter getting into the Triwizard Tournament without any explanation solidified that feeling. Neither she nor Cedric thought that the modest Boy-Who-Lived, with his messy black hair and emerald green eyes, had put his own name in. Have they been kidnapped? Have Death Eaters got them? Cho thought as tears filled her eyes.

"Cho, sweetie, don't cry," Marie soothed, putting an arm around her. "Please don't cry. Cedric'll be fine, he's strong. Whatever's happening, he'll make it, you know he will. And remember, he loves you, okay?"

"I know," Cho sniffled. "But I'm so scared! What if ... what if ..."

"Don't say it, Cho, you can't always think of the worst case scenario!" Marietta told her pleadingly.

But as the minutes ticked by with still no sign of Harry or Cedric, Cho couldn't stop the torrent of tears that flooded down her cheeks. She put her hands together and bowed her head in prayer, begging Merlin or whoever the higher power was that Cedric would be all right.

THUMP!

Suddenly, Harry and Cedric materialized at the edge of the maze. Harry was bloody and looked worn out, and he was gripping the Triwizard Cup and Cedric's arm extremely tightly. And Cedric wasn't moving at all.

But the absolute and utter horror didn't fill Cho until she looked at Cedric's eyes. Those gentle, loving gray eyes which had looked at her with hope and laughter and happiness were now empty, lifeless, and staring, staring, staring, staring, staring at the night sky. Cho couldn't feel her body; a very, very cold feeling was gripping her. She sat rooted to the spot, staring into Cedric's eyes and begging him to blink, to move, to do anything.

Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge came running over to the two champions, and then, suddenly, shouts were heard. Fudge yelled something, then it was yelled to the person next to him, then the person next to them, and finally, everyone in the stands was screaming it into the night, the worst words Cho had ever heard...''

"Dead! Dead! Diggory's dead! Dead! Dead! Cedric Diggory! Dead!"

Through Cho's numbness, she heard someone let out a long, drawn-out, terrible scream. What she didn't realize was that it was she herself who had done it. She felt someone gripping her arm, and she yanked it away, not even paying attention to her friend Marie's hollers for her to come back. But all Cho knew was that she could fix this if only she could get to Cedric's side.

It seemed like the whole stadium was running out onto the field, and Cho violently pushed people out of her way as she ran and ran. Through the melee, she could see Mad-Eye Moody carrying Harry away from the scene. Cedric's parents were in front of her now, running to their son, both with horrified looks on their faces. Boys looked stricken, girls were sobbing their hearts out, the words "Dead! Dead! Diggory's dead!" were still being yelled.

Finally, Cho got to where Cedric lay. He lay slumped on the ground, his lifeless gray eyes still staring, staring, staring into the night sky. Cho bent down and touched her boyfriend's hand; God, it was so cold! She took it in hers, squeezing it as hard as she possibly could. Shouting until her throat was raw, she screamed, "Oh God, Ced, WAKE UP! WAKE UP CEDRIC! WAKE UP, THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" She jerked her wand from her pocket and pointed it at him. "Enervate!" she screamed.

But Cedric's lifeless form didn't move, and his eyes continued to stare. The look on his face was one of slight surprise, and his hand was so...'ice cold. "Enervate!" Cho shrieked again, raw emotion consuming her. He can't be dead, he can't be dead, this isn't possible! she thought. Her prayers couldn't have been so viciously denied. "WAKE UP!" she howled in complete despair.

"Cho, sweetheart." Someone put a hand on Cho's shoulder. She jerked her head around and saw that it was Professor Sprout. "Cho, there's nothing you can do. Come away now, that's it, come away. Everything will be all right, everything will be fine."

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Cho choked as sobs racked her body. "I'm not leaving him! I have to stay here until he wakes up! He needs me!"

"Mr. Davies," said Professor Sprout, addressing someone standing next to her. "Please take Cho inside the school, she needs to be away from this."

"MY SON!" came the absolutely grief-stricken voice of Mr. Diggory. "MY BOY! MY SON! NOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOO!"

Roger Davies came over to Cho and whispered comforting words in her ear. Cho batted his hands away angrily. "Don't you dare make me leave him!" she screeched. "CEDRIC! CEDRIC!" She kicked and struggled as Roger lifted the distraught girl into his arms and began to carry her away. "GET AWAY FROM ME, ROGER! GET AWAY! I WANT CEDRIC! I WANT TO BE WITH CEDRIC!"

"Shhhhh, Cho, shhhhh," Roger tried to quieten her, but to no avail. But finally, her voice ran out, and she stopped struggling and went limp in Roger's arms as he carried her farther and farther away from the horrific scene which contained nothing but panic and her boyfriend's body.

Cho was shivering and shaking all over as Roger walked with her through many hallways and finally got her situated in Ravenclaw Tower, in the common room. Once there, he got her seated on one of the couches and then sat next to her, letting someone he considered like a sister cry on his shoulder. And oh, God, did she cry. She felt disoriented, as though looking at the scene from someone else's point of view. No, this was not happening to her, this was happening to someone else. That couldn't have been her Cedric, lying there so lifelessly on the Quidditch pitch, his blank eyes staring into nothingness.

But as the minutes ticked by, reality began to set in. For it was true. Cedric, the one boy who totally understood her, the boy who had held her while she cried, the boy who had sworn to always love her, was gone. She would never see him again, never see his gray eyes have life in them again, never play Quidditch with him again...'it was too much to bear. Cho shook and cried even harder as all the memories of them flashed in her mind: the Quidditch World Cup, the Hogwarts Express, studying together, the first task, the Yule Ball, their first kiss, the second task, studying for her O.W.L's with him, the prom, and the last conversation they'd ever had just earlier that afternoon.

Eventually, Roger carried her up to her dorm room and placed her gently on her bed, kissing her forehead and whispering, "I'm so sorry, Cho. But everything will be better in the morning."

Cho wanted to spit in Roger's face. Everything would NOT be better in the morning. What did he know, anyway? His heart hadn't just been ripped out of him. He hadn't just seen his soulmate's lifeless eyes staring at nothing.

She didn't sleep that night. It was spent surrounded by friends, with Marietta holding her while she continued to sob.

Cedric was gone.


End file.
